Life as a quest
I’m nearly done reading a book on life's gamification (how to have extraordinary success while having the fun of your life).
It's about designing your life's journey as the best MORPG game (think World of Warcraft), packed with clever, get-shit-done-and-have-fun strategies by gamification legend Yu-Kai Chou, packed with biographies of life's greatest achievers. But before I dive into that, here’s what’s been on my mind,
What lights you up?
Yesterday, my dad took me birthday shopping. He wanted to buy something nice. Sweet gesture. Ten minutes in, I was already looking for the exit. I just wanted to grab something and be done with it.
That moment reminded me - this isn’t my joy zone. Buying stuff doesn’t light me up. It bores the heck out of me.
I asked myself, What does make me feel lit up and wildly satisfied to be living?
Here’s my list:
Working on meaningful goals hard goals.
Building my vision, brick by brick.
Working out and sculpting a superhero version of me.
Spending time with people I love, especially if we’re exploring, playing, laughing, learning, being incredibly present.
Learning new skills or diving deep into a topic.
Nature. Art. Great conversations with fascinating people about ideas. Dance. Music. Travel.
A lot of things actually.
Just not shopping malls 😊
My dad? I’d much rather go on a walk with him or play table tennis than drift around looking at things we don’t need.
Even watching a movie can be energizing, if it connects to who you are and what you care about. As Yu-Kai says, there’s a huge difference between watching something that fuels your identity and vision… and just zoning out to kill time.
Life's fulfillment, the real kind, doesn’t come from numbing out.
It comes from knowing what makes you come alive, and choosing to spend as much of your time there as possible.
Yes, it takes more effort and design thinking than flipping on Netflix.
But the way your life and you expand is totally unmatched.
So... what’s your weekend plan?
Will it light you up or numb you down?
